Shocked at the results of recent European Union (EU) Minorities and Discrimination Survey, Hindus have asked EU to come out with elaborate and urgent measures to protect its minorities and immigrants.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was disgraceful for EU in particular and humanity in general to learn that discrimination, racism and xenophobia were still persistent phenomena in the EU.

Conducted by EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the survey reveals that “discrimination, harassment and racially motivated violence are far more widespread than recorded in official statistics”. Fifty-five percent of migrants and minorities surveyed think that discrimination based on ethnic origin is widespread in their country and 80% of those who experienced a racist crime did not report it to police apparently due to lack of confidence in mechanisms to protect victims.

The report on the Roma reveals a bleak picture for the estimated 12 million Roma in the EU. Roma reported the highest overall levels of discrimination across all areas surveyed. 66-92% of Roma (depending on the country) did not report their most recent experience of discrimination to any competent authority. Lack of confidence in law enforcement and justice structures was reported by 65-100% of the Roma respondents. FRA Director Morten Kjaerum is quoted as saying on its website: "The survey reveals how large the ‘dark figure' of racist crime and discrimination really is in the EU. Official racism figures only show the tip of the iceberg".

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that EU, its various agencies, and member states should “wholeheartedly” apply anti-discrimination laws. It appeared that discrimination and racist crime were daily experience for the European Roma, who had highest unemployment rates and lowest education levels. How much longer EU would tolerate this social exclusion and apartheid like conditions of the Roma, Zed asked.

How the EU and countries of Europe could make tall claims of good governance in the world if some of their own constituents suffer such alarming maltreatment, which was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world. Instead of “paper drives” and “sweet talk”, world would instead like to see urgent and concrete steps to improve the plight of EU minorities. It was moral obligation of Europe to take care of its vulnerable communities, Rajan Zed argued.

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